Post: #1

Which is better? Is it better to set an action-quota goal, or a results-targeting goal? What has everyone found to work best, or what combination are you using?

I've been mostly setting results-targeting goals, e.g. "achieve X within Y months". I've found that this is just too abstract and not current enough. Also, setting the timing is an act of prediction. If you set a goal too tight, and then find that despite your best efforts you can't reach it fast enough, it is demoralizing. Or if you set the goal too loose, then it is demotivating.

Which is why I'm now moving towards action-quota goals, albeit with a vague result-desire in mind. If I'm able to honestly claim "I have done all I can today" at the end of each day, I can be in peace. I have drawn up a list of action-quotas I must be able to tick-off each day to fit this purpose. Some examples include "I have consumed X food today", "My body is fully exercised", "I have done Y minutes of Z today".

Thoughts?

Post: #2

Hey, Phoenix, for the reasons you describe in your second paragraph, I think action goals are the superior choice, by a large margin.

Your reasons become even more amplified as you move into tasks that have a strong luck-based component, such as earning money through Poker or selling big ticket items. Further, if you're attempting something new, you experience the same effects of luck in that you are uncertain if you will plateau at a stage or even have to backtrack your progress to revise things.

Like you said, using an action-quota is mentally freeing in some sort of Zen way because you divest yourself of attachment to results that you can't strictly control; you did all you could and that's good enough (I'd argue that all suffering comes from feeling entitled to attaining a certain result).

Another reason, perhaps the most important reason, to use an action-quota is that it is extremely conducive to habit forming, especially if you do actions at around the same time. This allows you to build a natural 'momentum.'

I think your primary goals, the things that are most important to you in life, should be action-orientated.
-
That being said, one consideration for result-orientated goals is they are great for side projects, such as learning X amount of words in a target language, or adding X amount of muscle mass within a year, or saving some money to go traveling, as long as you undershoot in your estimates.

While action goals will work just as well, one reason for using a result-orientated approach to side projects is you allow yourself to be more flexible in when you do things and how much you do or commit at one time, whereas having to allocate a set time to working on tasks can hurt your morale if you fall ill or need to focus on other things for a bit.